Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time
This week in Play School we have fun retelling traditional fairy tales. A fairy tale is a story told
to children concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, unicorns,
mermaids, giants and elves. These stories often involve princes and princesses and modern
versions normally have a happy ending. Fairy tales often begin with the stock line “Once
upon a time” and end with “they lived happily ever after”.
Throughout the week, the Play School presenters and toys have fun dressing up and retelling
these magical stories. Each day, the Once Upon a Time Storybook is opened to reveal a new
adventure. A magical teapot weaves its way through stories involving kings and queens,
mermaids, wizards, genies, unicorns and fairies. On Friday, all these magical characters
come together for a banquet.
Page 1 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Monday
SONGS
Let’s Dress Up
Composers: Peter Dasent & Garth Frost
Publisher: Origin/Control
Making a Hat
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage
Publisher: Origin/Control
PRESENTERS
Teo Gebert - Essie Davis
I Am the King
Composer: Ron Gamack
Publisher: Control
PIANIST
Peter Dasent
Five in the Bed
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing
STORY
The Princess and the Pea
(A story told by the Play School team)
I Jump Out of Bed in the Morning
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ ABC Music Publishing
FILM
Going to Bed
(Play School, ABC)
Munch An Apple
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage
Publisher: Origin/Control
IDEAS FOR LATER
Read a fairy tale about a royal family
such as “The Frog Prince” by the
Brothers Grimm or “The Swineherd” by
Hans Christian Andersen.
ONCE UPON A TIME STORYBOOK
Today the Once Upon a Time Storybook
introduces us to King Wally and Queen Shirley,
who are granted three wishes by the Magic
Teapot.
Page 2 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
MAKE AND DO
How to Make a Crown
How to Make Bircher Muesli
You will need:
Shiny A3 cardboard
Safety scissors
Things to decorate your crown with,
such as sticker dots, fake jewels, shiny
cardboard shapes, glitter, pom-poms
and streamers
Paste
A stapler
Tape
Elastic (for Queen’s crown)
You will need:
3 cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups apple juice
½ cup grated apple
½ cup sultanas
½ cup mixed berries, such as
strawberries, raspberries and blueberries
1 cup plain yoghurt
King’s Crown
Cut a strip of cardboard about 20cm in width
and long enough to fit around your head with
a little bit of overlap. Cut triangles along one
side to create a zigzag pattern.
Just before serving, mix in grated apple,
sultanas, berries and yoghurt.
Place the oats in a large bowl and cover with
apple juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Serves 6.
Decorate with sticker dots, fake jewels, shiny
cardboard shapes, glitter, pom-poms and
streamers.
Fit the strip of cardboard around your head,
just above your ears and eyebrows, and staple
the ends together.
Queen’s Crown
Cut a large quarter circle from a piece of A3
cardboard. Roll into a cone shape and tape to
secure.
Decorate as above.
Staple a length of elastic to either side of the
crown so it stays on your head.
Page 3 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Tuesday
SONGS
Two Fat Gentlemen
Composer: Mary Champion de Crespigny
Publisher: EMI
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Composer: Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
Publisher: Public Domain
PRESENTERS
Karen Pang – Andrew McFarlane
PIANIST
Peter Dasent
TOLD STORY
Meekapunzel
(A story told by the Play School team)
FILM
Tropical Fish
(Marie Davies)
Three Little Speckled Frogs
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing
Here is the Sea
Composer: John Fox
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Diving
Composers: Scott Aplin & Phil Barton
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Friends All Together
Composers: Peter Dasent & Sophie Emtage
Publisher: Origin/Control
ANIMATION
Der Glumph
(Play School, ABC)
IDEAS FOR LATER
Dress up as a fairy using flowers and
leaves from the garden! First, collect
some large, hard leaves (frangipani
leaves are good). Use a single holepunch to make a hole at the top of
each leaf. Thread the leaves onto a
long piece of string and tie around your
waist for a skirt. Put some flowers in your
hair and use a scarf for wings. You’re
ready to fly!
Make a wobbly jelly fish from a plastic
lid, sticky tape and some dangly scraps,
such as curly ribbon, cut up plastic bags
or threads and cords from a sewing
box. Tape the dangly bits onto the lid so
they hang over the sides like tentacles.
Add a loop of ribbon for a handle.
ONCE UPON A TIME STORYBOOK
Today in the Once Upon a Time Storybook
Emma the mermaid has an underwater
adventure.
Page 4 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
MAKE AND DO
How to Make a Fairy
You will need:
A short cardboard roll
Sparkly paper
Safety scissors
Cardboard
Tape
A marker
A single-hole punch
Pipe cleaners
Tinsel or wool for hair
Tissue paper or a piece of tulle for wings
A matchstick
Paste
Glitter
Cut a strip of sparkly paper, the same width as the cardboard roll and long enough to wrap
around it with a little bit of overlap. Wrap the paper around the roll and tape to secure.
Cut a circle from a piece of cardboard for a fairy face. Use a marker to draw on two eyes
and a smiling mouth and tape to the top of the cardboard roll.
Use a single-hole punch to make two holes near the top of the roll and two holes near the
bottom. Thread a pipe cleaner through each set of holes to make arms and legs, as pictured
above.
Tape on some tinsel or wool for hair.
Twist a piece of tissue paper or tulle in the middle to form a pair of fairy wings. Tape to the
back of the cardboard roll.
To make a magic wand, cover a matchstick in paste and roll it in glitter. Once dry, cut a
small star from sparkly paper and tape it to the top of the matchstick.
Page 5 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Wednesday
SONGS
Painting a Picture
Composers: Peter Dasent & Garth Frost
Publisher: Origin
Seventy-six Trombones
Composer: Meredith Wilson
Publisher: Frank Music Co. Ltd.
PRESENTERS
Essie Davis – Teo Gebert
PIANIST
Peter Dasent
TOLD STORY
Emperor Big Ted’s New Clothes
(A story told by the Play School team)
FILM
Book Parade
(Play School, ABC)
IDEAS FOR LATER
Tell a story with some friends or your
toys! You might like to make some
props to help.
Use a large piece of paper to paint a
picture. Listen to different pieces of
music as you paint and let your painting
reflect how the music makes you feel. Is
the music fast, slow, loud, soft, smooth,
jagged?
Making Things
Composers: Scott Aplin & Phil Barton
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Hat On My Head
Composers: Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Murray
Cook & Greg Page
Publisher: Wiggly Tunes
Row, Row, Row your Boat
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin Music/ABC Music Publishing
Giddiap Horsey
Composers: L. Scott & L. Wood
Publisher: Harrup Publishing
The Wheels on the Bus
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin Music/ABC Music Publishing
ONCE UPON A TIME STORYBOOK
Today the Once Upon a Time Storybook
features a wizard, a genie and a horse who all
enjoy a cup of tea made by the Magic Teapot
while watching a parade.
Page 6 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
MAKE AND DO
How to Make Colourful Banners
You will need
Old newspapers
Paint
A pencil
Safety scissors
String
Tape
Lay a few sheets of newspaper on a covered workspace. Paint each sheet a different
colour. Wait for the paint to dry, then turn the newspaper over and paint the other side. Set
aside to dry.
To make a flag banner, fold one sheet of painted newspaper in half three times. Draw a
triangle on the folded newspaper, with the base of the triangle sitting at the folded edge.
Taper out either end of the base, so each side meets the newspaper and the triangle looks a
bit like a witch’s hat. When you cut out your triangle, make sure you don’t cut where the
base meets the edges of the newspaper – if you do your triangles won’t stay joined together.
When you unfold your newspaper, you will have a row of triangle flags which you can hang
on a piece of suspended string. Make a few flag banners, tape them together and hang
them up.
To make a rippy, strippy banner, fold a sheet of painted newspaper in half once. Rip strips
from the unfolded edge of the newspaper all the way up to, but not touching, the fold.
Make a few rippy strippy banners and hang them up.
Page 7 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Thursday
SONGS
Dragon Song
Composer: Don Spencer
I Can Fly
Composer: Lucille Wood
Publisher: Chambers Harrap
PRESENTERS
Karen Pang – Teo Gebert
PIANIST
Peter Dasent
STORY
The Dudgeon is Coming © Lynley Dodd, 2009
First published by Mallinson Rendel Publishers,
2009
First published by ABC books, 2009
All rights reserved
Let Me See You Do The Monkey
Composer: Genevieve Jereb
Publisher: Gellybean Records
Hey There, What Do You Wear?
Composer: Helen Martin
May I Come Over to Your Place?
Composer: Henrietta Clark
Publisher: ABC Music Publishing
Skating On the Ice (Standing On One Leg)
Composer: Graham Beebee
Publisher: PRS UK
FILM
Ice Skating
(Play School, ABC)
ANIMATION
Ning Nang Nong
(Play School, ABC)
IDEAS FOR LATER
Listen to the song “Puff the Magic
Dragon”.
Visit an ice rink and watch the skaters.
You might like to have a skate yourself!
ONCE UPON A TIME STORYBOOK
Today in the Once Upon a Time Storybook a
horse asks a wizard to turn him into a unicorn!
He meets a fairy and they play a game of
cloud watching up in the sky.
Page 8 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
MAKE AND DO
Dress up like a Dragon or a Unicorn
Dragon Dress-Up
A baseball cap
Coloured cardboard
Safety scissors
Tape
Two pom-poms
A long scarf for a tail
A piece of material for wings
A party blower
Cut a strip of cardboard about 10cm in width and long enough to fit around the front of the
baseball cap. Cut triangles along one side of the cardboard strIp to create a zigzag pattern.
Tape to the front of the baseball cap to create long pointy teeth for your dragon dress-up!
Tape two pom-poms to the top of the cap for eyes.
Tape or tie a long scarf around your waist for a long dragon tail.
Drape a piece of material around your shoulders for dragon wings.
Blow a party blower to make fiery dragon breath!
Unicorn Dress-Up
You will need:
A long scarf for a tail
A silver cone shaped party hat
A piece of material for wings
Tape or tie a long scarf around your waist for a long swishy tail.
Put on a silver cone shaped party hat for a unicorn horn.
Drape a piece of material around your shoulders for wings.
Page 9 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
Friday
SONGS
Big Adventure
Composers: Peter Dasent & Arthur Baysting
Publisher: Origin/ABC Music Publishing
How Do You Feel Today?
Composer: Eileen Diamond
PRESENTERS
Karen Pang – Andrew McFarlane
PIANIST
Peter Dasent
TOLD STORY
Snow White and the Five Dwarfs
(A story told by the Play School team)
FILM
Lanterns Montage
(Play School, ABC)
Two Little Apples
Composers: M. Miller & Paula L. Zajan
Publisher: EMI
The More We Are Together
Composer: Traditional
Publisher: Origin Music/ABC Music Publishing
ONCE UPON A TIME STORYBOOK
Today King Wally and Queen Shirley throw a
party for all the Once Upon a Time Storybook
characters. Emma the mermaid, Wizard,
Genie, Unicorn and Fairy all enjoy a banquet
and tea from the Magic Teapot.
IDEAS FOR LATER
Make a fairy lantern from a Chinese
food box. Cut out a square on two sides
of the box so you can see into the box.
Decorate the box as you like with glitter
and sparkly materials. Crunch a piece
of yellow cellophane and push it into
the box to make the lantern glow.
Make an obstacle course and take
your toys on a big adventure. Make a
map to show where you have to go.
Page 10 of 11
Theme Notes
Series 262: Once Upon A Time
MAKE AND DO
How to Make Apple Turnovers
You will need:
3 large cooking apples (such as granny smiths) peeled, cored and roughly chopped
75 grams caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
Puff pastry
A little milk
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add chopped apples and sugar and stir to combine.
Add water and cook on a gentle heat for five minutes, or until apple is tender.
Cut one sheet of puff pastry into four even squares. Place squares on a greased baking tray.
Spoon a tablespoon of stewed apple mixture onto each square.
Dab some milk around the edges of each pastry square.
Fold each pastry square over, making a triangle, and press down edges with fingers or a fork.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Makes 6.
Page 11 of 11